Las Vegas police attorney makes case for intervention in Rudin lawsuit

Attorneys debated Tuesday whether Las Vegas police should be allowed to insert themselves into Margaret Rudin’s wrongful conviction lawsuit.

The Metropolitan Police Department has asked to intervene in Rudin’s case, based in part on a suggestion that Attorney General Aaron Ford’s office “would not adequately represent” the department’s interests. Ford’s office is defending the state in the suit.

Senior District Judge Nancy Allf did not make a ruling at Tuesday’s hearing.

Rudin was convicted of murdering her husband in 2001 after a high-profile trial, but her conviction was overturned by a federal judge, who ruled that Rudin’s former defense lawyer had provided ineffective assistance. She denies involvement in her husband’s murder and sued the state in May 2024, seeking a certificate of innocence and wrongful conviction compensation.

Looming over the request from police is the case of Kirstin “Blaise” Lobato, who was awarded $34 million by a federal jury in December.

Lobato successfully accused detectives of fabricating evidence against her for the murder of a man found dead in 2001. She won her federal verdict after she settled a state case with Ford’s office and received a certificate of innocence.

During her federal trial, Metro released a letter signed by Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill and Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson that questioned why Ford’s office settled with Lobato so close to her federal trial and indicated “key parties involved in her prosecution” continued to believe she was guilty.

Rudin’s lawyers, who oppose Metro intervention, argue that Metro’s “efforts appear to be a direct result of a large verdict against LVMPD’s officers” in Lobato’s lawsuit.

Attorneys for police say they want to intervene because Rudin has accused Metro of misconduct, not because of the Lobato case.

Lyssa Anderson, a lawyer for Metro, told the court: “We want there to be a clear presentation of the true facts.”

“How can the state not do that?” the judge asked.

Anderson replied that it would be difficult for an attorney who did not work with Metro to “get up to speed” with information about department policies from 30 years ago.

She said she could help the attorney general’s office. “That’s what our intention is, your honor. It’s not to come in and to interfere or impede,” she said.

“This proceeding could result in adverse findings, a factual record, damage to the officers’ or the agency’s reputation and it’s very reasonably foreseeable that there could be a civil lawsuit brought by Ms. Rudin,” Anderson added. The attorney suggested Rudin could win a “windfall” like the one Lobato was awarded.

The attorney general’s office has taken a middle-ground stance that Metro does not have a right to intervene, but that it doesn’t mind if the department is allowed to do so.

“The state’s in a little bit of an unenviable position of making either Metro or Ms. Rudin happy here,” Senior Deputy Attorney General Jaimie Stilz said.

Corrine Murphy, an attorney representing Rudin, said after court that there may be implications for other wrongful conviction cases.

She thinks Metro will intervene in all such cases in the future if their motion is granted. And the department may try to intervene in other cases even if they are not allowed to do so for Rudin, she said.

Anderson declined to comment.

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.